U.S. patent application number 11/782795 was filed with the patent office on 2008-02-14 for portionable, rapid melt dairy based product.
Invention is credited to Phillip Delpierre, Deborah P. Moore.
Application Number | 20080038439 11/782795 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39030952 |
Filed Date | 2008-02-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080038439 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Moore; Deborah P. ; et
al. |
February 14, 2008 |
Portionable, Rapid Melt Dairy Based Product
Abstract
A process for a portionable, rapid melt sauce is disclosed which
forms a gel, to which additional ingredients of the sauce are then
added. After formation of the mixture, it may be homogenized and
refrigerated to make the resulting product sufficiently firm to
allow it to be processed into segments of a desired size, such as
small cubes, shreds, or another portionable shape. The product may
then be packaged either into individualized portions, or into
larger sizes if desired. The small solid segments contained may be
portioned out as desired, and rapidly melt into a sauce when heated
or when placed onto hot food and will preferably remain as a sauce
at room temperature.
Inventors: |
Moore; Deborah P.;
(Fredonia, WI) ; Delpierre; Phillip; (Plymouth,
WI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
REINHART BOERNER VAN DEUREN S.C.;ATTN: LINDA KASULKE, DOCKET COORDINATOR
1000 NORTH WATER STREET, SUITE 2100
MILWAUKEE
WI
53202
US
|
Family ID: |
39030952 |
Appl. No.: |
11/782795 |
Filed: |
July 25, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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11463351 |
Aug 9, 2006 |
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11782795 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
426/576 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A23L 29/20 20160801;
A23P 10/00 20160801; A23L 29/284 20160801; A23C 19/0904
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
426/576 |
International
Class: |
A23L 1/0562 20060101
A23L001/0562 |
Claims
1. A method for preparing a portionable sauce product comprising a
plurality of small segments that are solid at room temperature
until heated or placed upon hot food, at which time they become a
sauce, said method comprising: adding a gelatin to water; allowing
said gelatin and said water to hydrate; blending a fat into the
hydrated gelatin and water; forming a mixture by adding dry
ingredients to the hydrated gelatin and water and fat and heating
the mixture; refrigerating said mixture at least for a period of
time sufficient for said mixture to become sufficiently firm to
allow it to be processed; and when said mixture has become
sufficiently firm, processing said mixture into a plurality of
small segments, said small segments being solid at room
temperature.
2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein salt and/or one or more
other dispersing agents are added together with said gelatin to
said water.
3. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein said salt comprises
emulsifying salt.
4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the portionable sauce
product is processed into said plurality of small segments of a
desired size by machining, dicing, shredding, slicing, or
comminuting said mixture.
5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said gelatin is selected
from a substance from the group consisting of a collagen product,
carrageenan, pectin, agar, a derivative of a collagen product, a
derivative of a carrageenan, and a derivative of an agar.
6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said fat is preheated
prior to blending it into the hydrated gelatin and water.
7. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said dry ingredients
comprise a thickener.
8. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said dry ingredients
comprise at least one cheese in grated or powder form.
9. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein said dry ingredients
comprise at least one enzyme-modified cheese.
10. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said dry ingredients
comprise seasonings.
11. A method as defined in claim 10, wherein at least some of said
seasonings are added immediately prior to said refrigerating
step.
12. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said dry ingredients
comprise spices, herbs, dried vegetables particulates, dried fruit
particulates, or nuts, or any combination thereof.
13. A method as defined in claim 12, wherein at least some of said
spices, herbs, dried vegetables particulates, dried fruit
particulates, or nuts, or any combination thereof are added
immediately prior to said refrigerating step.
14. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the pH of said mixture
is maintained at or below about pH 5.8.
15. A method as defined in claim 14, wherein said pH of said
mixture is maintained at or about pH 4.5 to pH 5.8.
16. A method as defined in claim 15, wherein said pH of said
mixture is maintained at or about pH 5.1 to pH 5.5.
17. A method as defined in claim 1, additionally comprising:
homogenizing said mixture prior to said refrigerating step.
18. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said small segments
quickly melt to become a sauce when heated or when placed upon hot
food, and thereafter remain in sauce form at room temperature.
19. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said refrigerating step
is performed for a period of time sufficient to allow said mixture
to reach a level of firmness associated with a TA reading of
between about five to fifteen kilograms of force at four to eight
degrees Celsius with a forty-five degree cone set at a rate of two
millimeters per second.
20. A method as defined in claim 19, wherein said refrigerating
step is performed for a period of time sufficient to allow said
mixture to reach a level of firmness associated with a TA reading
of between about seven and twelve kilograms of force at four to
eight degrees Celsius with a forty-five degree cone set at a rate
of two millimeters per second.
21. A portionable sauce product, comprising: about three to five
percent gelatin; about forty to about fifty percent moisture; about
twenty to about thirty-five percent fat; and about eight to fifteen
percent protein; wherein the portionable sauce product comprises a
plurality of small segments that are solid at room temperature
until heated or placed upon hot food, at which time they become a
sauce.
22. A portionable sauce product as defined in claim 21, further
comprising zero to about nine percent of a starch.
23. A portionable sauce product as defined in claim 21, wherein
said fat is a dairy fat, a vegetable fat, or a combination of a
dairy fat and a vegetable fat.
24. A method of making the portionable sauce product of claim 21,
wherein the portionable sauce product is formed by first adding
said gelatin to at least a portion of said moisture to form a
hydrate, then adding said fat to said hydrate, then adding
additional ingredients and any additional moisture to said hydrate
and said fat to form a mixture, then cooking said mixture, then
homogenizing said mixture and the optional addition of particulates
to said mixture, then refrigerating said mixture, and then
processing said mixture into said small segments.
25. A portionable sauce product as defined in claim 21, wherein at
least a portion of said protein is selected from the group
consisting of Asiago cheese, blue cheese, brick cheese, Swiss
cheese, Edam cheese, Gouda cheese, Muenster cheese, Mozzarella
cheese, Parmesan cheese, Provolone cheese, Romano cheese, American
cheese, Cheddar cheese, Colby cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, wash
curd cheese, stirred curd cheese, cream cheese, and Neufchatel.
26. A portionable sauce product as defined in claim 21, wherein the
pH of the portionable sauce product is between about pH 4.5 and pH
5.8.
27. A method as defined in claim 27, wherein said pH of the
portionable sauce product is between about pH 5.1 and pH 5.5.
28. A portionable sauce product as defined in claim 21, further
comprising an ingredient selected from the group consisting of a
salt, a flavor, a flavor modifier, a thickener, an emulsifier, and
a colorant.
29. A portionable sauce product as defined in claim 21, further
comprising spices, herbs, dried vegetables particulates, dried
fruit particulates, or nuts, or any combination thereof.
30. A portionable sauce product, comprising: about three to seven
percent gelatin; about forty to fifty-five percent moisture; about
twenty to forty percent fat; and about five to twenty percent
protein; wherein the portionable sauce product comprises a
plurality of small segments that are solid at room temperature
until heated or placed upon hot food, at which time they become a
sauce.
31. A portionable sauce product as defined in claim 30, wherein
said gelatin is between two hundred Bloom and three hundred Bloom
and comprises about three to six percent.
32. A method of making the portionable sauce product of claim 30,
the method comprising first adding the gelatin to the moisture to
form a hydrate, then adding the fat to the hydrate, and then adding
additional ingredients and moisture.
33. A method as defined in claim 301, wherein salt and/or one or
more other dispersing agents are added together with said gelatin
to said water.
34. A portionable sauce product as defined in claim 30, comprising
about four to five percent gelatin and about forty-five to fifty
percent moisture.
35. A portionable sauce product as defined in claim 30, further
comprising a thickener selected from the group consisting of guar
gum, a derivative of guar gum, carboxymethyl cellulose, a
derivative of carboxy-methyl cellulose, hydroxylmethyl cellulose, a
derivative of a hydroxymethyl cellulose, an alginate, carrageenan,
a derivative of carrageenan, xanthan, a derivative of a xanthan,
agar, a derivative of agar, xanthan gum, a derivative of xanthan
gum, locust bean gum, a derivative of a locust bean gum, tara gum,
a derivative of a tara gum, pectin, a derivative of a pectin, and a
starch.
36. A portionable sauce product as defined in claim 30, further
comprising about one-quarter percent to about five percent by
weight of a thickener.
37. A portionable sauce product as defined in claim 30, further
comprising an emulsifier in an amount from zero percent to about
three percent by weight.
Description
IDENTIFICATION OF RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This patent application is a continuation-in-part of
copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/463,351, filed on
Aug. 9, 2006, entitled "Portionable, Rapid Melt Dairy Based
Product," which patent application is assigned to the assignee of
the present invention, and which patent application is hereby
incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates generally to foods and sauces,
and more particularly to a dairy-based sauce and cheese that is
easily portionable and that will rapidly melt when it is heated or
when it is placed on hot food items, and to a related method for
making these dairy-based sauces and cheeses.
[0003] Dairy-based ingredients, such as sauces and garnishes made
with cheese, are very popular among consumers. Included are slices
or cubes of cheese, spoonable sauces made from cheese, and shredded
toppings made from cheese. Cheese-type toppings or sauces are
popular because of their excellent properties. These properties
include excellent taste, and of course, the variety of cheese types
and tastes available. Cheese also has excellent nutritional
benefits, such as calcium. Finally, the color itself of the cheese
usually provides a desirable and pleasing contrast to the food
which it tops, such as a saffron cheese sauce on bright green
broccoli.
[0004] One problem with dairy-based sauces, and with cheeses, as
shown in these examples, is the difficulty of furnishing a small,
individualized portion of the cheese or sauce. For instance, a
slice or cube of cheese is typically taken from a block or larger
piece, which may not be available in all circumstances. A spoonful
or two of spreadable sauce may be taken from a sauce-pan or from a
jar of sauce. The sauce may be separated and packaged into small
one ounce or other size packets, but sometimes it is difficult to
dispense the sauce, or the packet itself may require preheating in
order to dispense. If the sauce is dehydrated or otherwise dried
and formed into a powder, reconstituting the sauce may require
additional inconvenient preparing steps before consumption.
[0005] The prior art includes many cheeses and methods for
processing cheese, but does not include ways to easily or
individually apportion the cheese without incurring substantial
disadvantages. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,279,202 teaches
shredding or grating cheese and then individually coating each
cheese particle with a coating of fat to protect the cheese and
help prevent its deterioration over time. This is clearly
undesirable, and in any case, may be limited to harder cheeses.
[0006] In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,766,657 discloses
melt-controlled cheese that is formed by integrating two or more
cheese curds having different melt values. In one example, a curd
produced by adding acid to hot milk is mixed with a curd produced
by rennet coagulation. Cheeses with a relative high melt value
produced by rennet coagulation are mixed in a desired proportion
with cheese of relatively low melt value produced by the heated
milk process. The resulting mixture has a relatively predictable
melt value, but at the cost of a very complicated process.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 5,985,350, includes sauces that may include
cheese. The sauce is made from a thickener and other ingredients,
but in order to prepare individual portions, the sauce would have
to be packaged into individual small packets. This liquid sauce is
not easily apportioned and must then be squeezed from the
packets.
[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 6,524,636 discloses a process for producing
frozen chips of a savory sauce. The chips are produced by preparing
a sauce and then spraying and freezing it into small chips on a
chilled stainless steel belt. The sauce may also be prepared as two
types of chips, prepared and frozen separately, and then mixed in a
packet or on the food item itself. These chips must be frozen until
they are needed, and are thus inconvenient.
[0009] What is needed is a better cheese or dairy based sauce or
product that will rapidly melt when placed upon hot food or when
heated. It is also desirable that the product be readily
portionable so that a container of the product may be easily
separated into individualized or other portions. Dairy-based sauce
and cheese embodiments according to the present invention, made of
a plurality of small discrete pieces, must continue to be
economical in their cost, and must also continue to have excellent
flavor, mouth-feel, and other consumer-preferred properties. The
advantages of embodiments according to the present invention should
be achieved without incurring any substantial relative
disadvantage.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] The disadvantages and limitations of the background art
discussed above are overcome by the present invention. The present
invention provides a rapid melt dairy based product and a method of
making such a rapid melt dairy based product which at room
temperature is a solid, easily portionable product, but which melts
quickly into a sauce upon heating or when dispensed directly onto
hot food. Once melted, the rapid melt dairy based product remains
in sauce form at room temperature.
[0011] One embodiment is a method for preparing a portionable,
rapid melt dairy based product. The method includes steps of adding
a gelatin, salt, and other dispersing agents to water, allowing the
water and gelatin to hydrate, blending in a fat, forming a mix by
adding dry ingredients, at least one of the dry ingredients
including a dairy based product, and heating. The method also
includes steps of optionally homogenizing the mix, refrigerating
the mix, and processing the mix into a desired solid size, wherein
the pieces are solid at room temperature.
[0012] Another embodiment is a portionable, rapid melt dairy
product. The dairy product includes about three to five percent
gelatin, about forty to about fifty-five percent moisture, about
twenty to about thirty-five percent fat, and about eight to fifteen
percent protein, wherein the product includes a plurality of
sprinklable small pieces that are solid at room temperature.
[0013] Another embodiment is a sprinklable dairy product. The dairy
product includes about three to seven percent gelatin, about forty
to fifty-five percent moisture, about twenty to forty percent fat,
and about five to twenty percent protein, wherein the dairy product
includes a plurality of small pieces that are solid at room
temperature.
[0014] It may therefore be seen that one embodiment of the present
invention teaches a method for making a dairy product that is
easily portionable and that will rapidly melt when heated or when
placed on hot food items. Other embodiments of the invention are a
portionable dairy product that includes small pieces that are solid
at room temperature, and therefore easily portionable or
sprinklable, rather than liquid. A packet of the portionable, rapid
melt product may be sprinkled onto a diner's plate, in a manner
similar to a small packet of ketchup at a fast-food restaurant.
[0015] Rather than squeezing or pouring out a messy liquid or
paste, however, a discrete number of pieces, such as shreds or dice
(small dies or cubes of the dairy product), will pour from the
packet. If the packet is small, perhaps one-half ounce to one
ounce, the diner may wish to sprinkle the entire packet. If the
packet is large, perhaps several ounces, the diner may merely wish
to portion out a few sprinkles, saving the rest for other diners or
for a later occasion.
[0016] The word "solid" as used herein means that the dairy product
is non-liquid and of course, non-gaseous. The cheese or dairy
product will be sufficiently solid that once placed into a packet
or envelope, a small quantity may be removed from the packet by
shaking, rather than squeezing. Careful handling, or even
refrigeration, may be necessary with the product. Because of the
nature of cheese or dairy products, the small pieces may melt and
cling together if pressure and heat are applied merely by squeezing
a small quantity of the pieces.
[0017] The rapid melt dairy based product of the present invention
is of high quality and will remain as a sauce once it is heated or
applied to a hot food. The rapid melt dairy based product of the
present invention is relatively economical to manufacture to
enhance its market appeal and to thereby afford it the broadest
possible market. Finally, all of the aforesaid advantages of the
rapid melt dairy based product of the present invention are
achieved without incurring any substantial relative
disadvantage.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] These and other advantages of the present invention are best
understood with reference to the drawings, in which:
[0019] FIG. 1 is a flow chart depicting one method of making a
cheese or dairy product according to the teachings of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0020] The preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a
rapid melt dairy based product that is solid at room temperature
and is easily portionable, but that when heated or when dispensed
onto hot food melts quickly into a sauce and remains in sauce form.
The rapid melt dairy based product uses a gelatin, either with or
without a starch as a base, to produce a dairy-based sauce that
becomes firm or hard when refrigerated and cured. This rapid melt
dairy based product may then be machined or processed into reduced
size particles and packaged. Consumers may then easily dispense and
consume the rapid melt dairy based product.
[0021] For example, a cheddar-cheese based product, which is
discussed in detail below, may be formed and refrigerated, and then
diced into cubes, about one-eighth inch to one-quarter inch on each
side, or larger. These cubes may be placed into an individual one
ounce packet, a larger eight ounce packet, a two pound container,
or any other desired size package. When a consumer wishes to add a
cheddar-based sauce to a broccoli, eggs, or another hot food
product, the consumer may open the packaging and shake a desired
quantity of the small cubes onto the hot food. In a preferred
embodiment, the small cubes have a sufficiently low softening point
that the cubes will melt into a sauce. In another embodiment, the
consumer may take the food item with small cheese cubes placed
thereupon and heat the food item and the small cubes briefly,
typically in a microwave oven, to melt the small cheese cubes into
a sauce that will spread evenly over the food.
[0022] In the preferred embodiment, a stabilizer system helps to
form and firm the cheese or sauce product. The stabilizer system
preferably uses a blend of a gelatin and a starch or other
carbohydrate. If no starch or other carbohydrate is used, the
stabilizer will be less firm, and a thinner, "finishing" sauce or
dairy based product will be formed. The stabilizer system
substantially firms or hardens the product in its bulk form so that
it becomes firm or hard when it is later refrigerated and cured.
The product may then be easily machined into smaller pieces, such
as by slicing, dicing, shredding, crumbling, or comminuting, i.e.,
pulverizing, or through the use of any other suitable size-reducing
forming technique.
[0023] Formulations of the dairy based sauce preferably also use
one or more cheeses, dairy powders, milk, condensed milk, or dairy
fats, although nondairy sauces can also be made using the teachings
of the present invention. In one embodiment, one or more of the
following cheeses may be added to the sauce: Asiago cheese, blue
cheese, brick cheese, Swiss cheese, Edam cheese, Gouda cheese,
Muenster cheese, Mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, Provolone
cheese, Romano cheese, American cheese, Cheddar cheese, Colby
cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, wash curd cheese, stirred curd
cheese, cream cheese, Neufchatel, or any other desired type of
cheese.
[0024] In other embodiments, dairy powders or dairy fats may be
used. For example, powdered casein products may be used, e.g.,
complete milk protein, e.g., CMP-GP eighty percent, an
ultrafiltered natural milk protein isolate in fine powder form,
from American Casein Co., of Burlington, N.J. Enzyme-modified
cheese (EMC) and emulsifying salt can also be added to tailor the
flavor and textural properties of the cheese product being
produced. Other useful powders that may be used include nonfat skim
dry milk and dairy powders. Thickeners, gelling agents, pH
adjusters, preservatives, emulsifiers, flavor modifiers,
seasonings, particulates, and colorants may also be added.
[0025] A variety of dairy fats also add to the texture, flavor, and
consistency of the product. Preferred dairy fats are heavy whipping
cream and plastic cream (plastic cream is a product formed during
the separation of whole milk) Plastic cream typically has a fat
content approaching eighty percent, but it remains as an
oil-in-water emulsion in which the fat is still in the form of
globules and the skim milk is the continuous phase of the emulsion.
Other dairy fats may also be used instead.
[0026] Such other fats may also be used to produce lower-cost
sauces and cheeses. For instance, vegetable fats, such as
shortening, may be used instead of dairy fats. Other liquid
components such as a fluid milk, condensed milk, ultra-filtered
milk may also be used.
[0027] FIG. 1 is a flowchart depicting the process described above.
The process begins with a process initiation step 20, and moves to
a blend dry ingredients step 22 in which all of the dry ingredients
except for the gelatin and optional seasonings are blended
together. Next, in an add water step 24, water is added to a
cooker, or, in production-sized equipment, a blender.
[0028] In an add gelatin and hydrate step 26, gelatin and salt and
optional other dispersing agents are added to the water and blended
(with slow agitation) about one minute to cause the gelatin to
hydrate. Once the gelatin is hydrated, the fat, such as dairy fat
or vegetable fat is blended into the mixture and heated in a blend
fat and heat step 28. Optionally, the fat may be preheated in an
optionally preheat fat step 29 prior to the blend fat and heat step
28. Following the addition of the fat, the additional ingredients
including cheese, EMC's, flavorings, colorants, and other optional
ingredients may be blended into the mixture in a blend additional
ingredients step 30, and the blend may then be cooked in a cook
mixture step 32.
[0029] Next, the blend may be homogenized in an optional homogenize
step 34, which preferably occurs in two stages (at one thousand psi
for the first stage and two hundred fifty psi for the second
stage), although strictly speaking homogenizing is not required.
After homogenizing, a flavor modifier or other seasonings may be
added in an optional add seasonings step 36. In this step, spices,
herbs, or other particulates such as dried vegetables and/or fruits
and nuts may optionally be added. Examples of spices and herbs that
may be added include (but are not limited to) garlic, basil,
cilantro, jalapenos, oregano, tomato powder, onion powder, bell
peppers, cilantro, garlic, celery, parsley, salt, pepper, and
sugar. Examples of other particulates that may be added include
sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, basil, dehydrated tomatoes, jalapenos,
hot peppers, sweet peppers, mushrooms, onions, meats, and various
purees. It should be noted in passing that the addition of the
flavor modifier and/or seasonings may instead take place at other
points in the process (such as in the blend additional ingredients
step the single-serving sealing step 30).
[0030] The dairy product may then be separated into a desired
number of smaller quantities, such as two pound loaf boxes, thirty
to forty pound boxes, or trays of a larger quantity, such as
seventy-five pound trays, and refrigerated in a form and
refrigerate step 38. After refrigeration and curing for a
sufficient time (the cheese becomes firmer over time due to the
stabilizer), the cheese is sufficiently firm so that it can be
processed in a machine or process to desired size step 40 into
slices, dice, shreds, or any other desired small size
configuration. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the
cure time must be sufficiently long to allow the cheese to become
sufficiently firm to render the cheese convertible, and not so long
that the time required for curing substantially increases the cost
of manufacturing the cheese. As an alternative method, product can
be hot filled into a final form such as, for example, cubes.
[0031] Firmness of the cheese may be measured with a texture
analyzer such as the TA.XT Plus device from Texture Technologies
Corporation. The setup for this device includes a forty-five degree
cone with a thirty kilogram load cell. The probe is set at a rate
of two millimeters per second, and travels to a depth of twenty
millimeters. The product temperature of four to eight degrees
Celsius. Acceptable TA readings of firmness require a reading of
five to fifteen kilograms of force, with a preferred minimum TA
reading of eight kilograms of force. Cheese which is insufficiently
firm is particularly difficult to convert, and cheese which is too
firm may not possess desired melting characteristics.
[0032] Alternately, firmness of the cheese may be measured with a
cone penetrometer such as the universal penetrometer available from
Universal Scientific Petroleum Instruments with a needle, per ASTM
D 5, 2.5 gram tapered 0.040 inch to 0.006 inch, at thirty-eight
degrees Fahrenheit with a dropping assembly mass of one hundred
grams, after a period of ten seconds. Acceptable readings of
firmness require a penetrometer reading of less than about sixteen
millimeters, with the preferred range being between six and ten
millimeters.
[0033] Finally, the cheese is packaged for sale in a packaging in
desired packaging step 42, following which the finished product may
be refrigerated or frozen. The process then ends in a process
termination step 44. As specific illustrations of portionable,
rapid melt dairy products, three examples (which are illustrative
of and in no way limit the present invention) are provided
hereinbelow.
EXAMPLE 1
[0034] A first example is a cheese sauce made with Parmesan cheese,
which typically tends to be a harder cheese, using the ingredients
that are shown in Table 1 below.
[0035] The Parmesan sauce is prepared in the following manner. All
of the dry ingredients are preblended except for the gelatin and
the seasonings. Water is added to a laboratory cooker, and gelatin
is then added to the cooker and allowed to hydrate with slow
agitation for about one minute. Heavy cream is then added slowly to
the gelatin/water mix and is allowed to blend thereinto. The dry
blended ingredients are then added, and blending is continued. The
plastic cream and flavor are then added and blended, and heating is
begun. Hydration of the gelatin may take place in about one to five
minutes depending on the gelatin used and the water
temperature.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Input, percent Ingredient Heavy whipping
cream 42.00 Plastic cream 12.84 Water 13.25 Steam 7.50 Parmesan,
fine grated 9.00 Parmesan cheese powder 5.00 (BDF) Gelatin, 300
Bloom 4.50 Natural Asiago cheese 0.50 type flavor Sorbic Acid 0.20
Italian Herb Seasoning 2.00 Salt 1.40 CMP-GP 80% 1.06 Nonfat dry
skim milk 0.75 Comments/Instructions pH 5.26 % Moisture 47.7 % Salt
2.52 % Fat 26.5
[0036] The product in the cooker is heated to one hundred
eighty-four degrees Fahrenheit with steam. In production equipment,
the blending will preferably be accomplished in an unheated blender
and then the blend transferred to a cooker for heating. The
temperature used for heating in a production cooker may vary from
as low as one hundred sixty degrees Fahrenheit, to possibly as high
as two hundred degrees Fahrenheit. What is important is that the
gel be hydrated and that the blend be properly cooked, rather than
requiring any particular temperature.
[0037] The batch is then optionally homogenized in two stages, at
one thousand psi for the first stage and two hundred fifty psi for
the second stage (250/1000). The seasonings are then added to the
batch, which is subsequently divided into two pound loaf boxes and
refrigerated to cool it and thereafter to allow it to cure. The
curing process must be for a sufficiently time to allow the product
to become sufficiently firm to render the product easily
convertible into finely divided, portionable, segments. It will be
recognized by those skilled in the art that excessively long curing
times substantially increase the cost of manufacture.
[0038] Alternatively, cooling of the batch may instead be
accomplished using a chill roll, which is an apparatus that is
commonly used in the making of process cheese slices. The batch of
product may be extruded through a chill roll having two
spaced-apart rollers which have low temperature coolant flowing
therethrough to rapidly cool the batch of product as it flows
through the chill roll. The chill roll thus acts as a heat transfer
device in such an extrusion operation, with the cooled sheet of
product from the chill roll then being run into a bulk container,
pressed together, and allowed to cure. The product may also be
converted directly to a slice utilizing both hot pack and chill
roll slice equipment common to the industry.
[0039] The cheese may then be processed in several different ways,
each of which is satisfactory in producing a finely divided,
portionable, rapid melt dairy product. The product from may be
diced into small cubes, about one-eighth inch on each side.
Alternatively, the product may instead be: sliced into slices about
one-half inch on a side, one and one-half inches long; shredded
into shreds of Parmesan cheese about one-sixteenth inch in
diameter; cut into three and one-half inch by three and one-half
inch slices of various thicknesses; or diced into larger cubes
about three-eighths inch on a side. All of the aforesaid machining
methods worked well with this formula.
[0040] In a production environment, the product may be separated
into boxes or trays, such as thirty to forty pound roughly cubic
"boxes" or seventy-five pound trays. Other convenient equipment may
be used such as, for example, chubs or tubes, with the
understanding that with larger boxes or trays, refrigeration will
take longer. Refrigeration temperature preferably ranges from about
thirty-eight to about forty-five degrees Fahrenheit. Other
temperatures may be used so long as the cheese does not freeze and
the cheese is sufficiently firm for later processing.
EXAMPLE 2
[0041] A second example uses Parmesan cheese, which also tends to
be a harder cheese, and cheddar cheese flavoring, with the complete
list of ingredients being listed in Table 2.
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Input, percent Ingredient Shortening, liquid
code 22.51 123 Water 39.01 Steam 7.32 Parmesan, fine grated 8.78
Parmesan cheese powder 4.88 BDF 0004 Gelatin, 300 Bloom 4.40 Jeneil
Cheddar EMC3020 1.50 Sorbic acid 0.30 Apo-carotenal 0.13 Salt 1.75
CMP-GP 80% 1.96 Starch - Penbind 800 2.75 Starch - Pencook 37 0.25
Disodium phosphate 1.00 Trisodium phosphate 0.50 Nonfat dry skim
milk 1.96 Lactic Acid 50% 0.99 Comments/Instructions pH 5.38 %
Moisture 46.9 % Salt 2.68 % Fat 32.5
[0042] The product in this second example was made in a manner
similar to the first example. All dry ingredients except the
gelatin, including the flavors, were blended together and placed in
a laboratory cooker. Water was added to the cooker and the gelatin
was added to the cooker and allowed to hydrate for one minute with
slow agitation. The shortening was then added and allowed to blend.
Heating was then begun and the dry ingredients were blended while
heating them to one hundred eighty-four degrees Fahrenheit with
steam. The batch was then separated as before, and the batch was
homogenized in a two stage process at one thousand five hundred psi
and five hundred psi (500/1500). The batches were then packaged
separately into two pound loaf boxes and refrigerated and cured.
After refrigeration and curing, the dairy product was processed,
i.e., divided, using several different methods as outlined above,
all of which were satisfactory.
[0043] In the second example, disodium phosphate and trisodium
phosphate were added as emulsifiers, to assist in the blending of
the dairy product with the gelatin and water. Other emulsifiers
that may be used include, but are not limited to, monosodium
phosphate, other phosphate salts, and sodium citrate. Lactic acid
may be used as a pH modifier. Other pH modifiers that may be used
include acetic acid, citric acid, propionic acid, and phosphoric
acid, although lactic acid is preferred. In addition, adding three
percent starch by weight made the cheese much harder. More starch,
up to nine percent, may be added.
EXAMPLE 3
[0044] A third example uses Parmesan cheese and Butter Buds
flavoring, with the ingredients being listed in Table 3.
[0045] The dairy product in this third example was made in a manner
similar to the first and second examples. All dry ingredients,
except the gelatin and the Chr. Hansen Dairy Powder 891 flavor
modifier were blended together. Water was added to the cooker and
the gelatin was added with slow agitation and allowed to hydrate
for about one minute. The shortening was then added to the
gelatin/water mixture and allowed to blend with slow agitation.
Heating was then begun and the dry ingredients were then added by
blending with slow agitation. The product in the cooker was heated
to one hundred eighty-four degrees Fahrenheit with steam.
[0046] After heating, the batch was homogenized at one thousand psi
for the first stage and two hundred fifty psi for the second stage
and four-tenths of a percent by weight of Chr. Hansen Dairy Powder
891 flavor modifier was added to the batch. The batch was then
packaged and refrigerated and cured. After refrigeration and
curing, the product was processed, i.e., divided, using the methods
as outlined above, all of which were satisfactory.
TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Input, percent Ingredient Shortening, liquid
code 27.77 123 Water 40.46 Steam 7.50 Parmesan, fine grated 5.47
Parmesan cheese powder 4.80 BDF 0004 Gelatin, 300 Bloom 4.50 Teklac
sweet dairy whey 2.00 #373 Butter Buds 32x 0.25 Sorbic acid 0.30
Apo-carotenal 0.10 Salt 2.20 CMP-GP 80% 2.25 Satialgine S1100 0.40
Nonfat dry skim milk 2.00 Chr. Hansen Dairy Powder 0.40 891
Comments/Instructions pH 5.4 % Moisture 46.8 % Salt 2.88 % Fat
33.5
[0047] It has been found that the preferred products made according
to these recipes and procedures use a high-strength gel, e.g., a
gel with a Bloom rating of two hundred or greater. A Bloom rating
of three hundred is preferred. It has also been found that type A
collagen gelatin is preferred. This type gelatin is typically made
from porcine skin, cow-hide, or bones of animals aged six months or
greater. The isoelectric point of the preferred gelatin tends to be
about 4.5 to about 5.5, and the pH may range from about 4.5 to
about 7.5, more preferably about pH 5.2 to about 6.2.
[0048] Other gelatins may be used instead or in addition, such as
another collagen-product gelatin, carrageenan, pectin, agar, a
derivative of a collagen product, a derivative of a carrageenan,
and a derivative of an agar.
[0049] It has been found that sauces and dairy products made
according to the invention may also contain additional ingredients
to stabilize and firm up the product. These stabilizers/thickeners
may include starches or other products. Stabilizers/thickeners may
also include guar gum, derivatives of guar gum, carboxymethyl
cellulose and its derivative products, and other celluloses, such
as hydroxymethyl cellulose and its derivatives.
[0050] Alginates, such as sodium alginates, may function as
thickeners, and may be used, preferably as a thickener in dairy
product and sauce embodiments of the present invention. Some
products may be used as thickeners, and are useful in the dairy
product embodiments. These include pectin, carrageenan, and agar,
locust bean, tara, and xanthan gums, and their derivatives. These
ingredients may be used as an additional stabilizer/thickener in
the latter stages of blending. Some of these which form a gel, such
as pectin, carrageenan, and xanthan and agar gums, may be used in
minor proportions together with the gelatin in the gel-forming
first step of the process.
[0051] Once the dairy product or cheese has been formed, as
outlined above, and refrigerated and cured, the product is easily
machined or cut into small pieces, e.g., diced, sliced, shredded,
crumbled, pulverized, or otherwise suitably formed. The pieces may
then be easily apportioned and packaged for an individualized or
family-size portions. When desired, irregularly shaped pieces,
small cubes, or shreds may later be portioned, i.e., shaken out of
the packet and onto a food product, for use as a sauce or
topping.
[0052] Depending on the firmness or "solidness" of the product or
sauce, and the temperature of the food onto which the sauce is
sprinkled or shaken, the sauce may melt and spread on its own. If
the sauce is more firm, then further heating, such as in a
microwave oven or conventional oven, may be required to melt and
spread the sauce. Dairy products made according to the present
invention preferably include a preservative in small amounts, of
about 0.10 to about 0.50 percent, preferably about 0.20 to about
0.30 percent. Suitable preservatives include, but are not limited
to, nisin, sorbic acid, benzoic acid, and sodium benzoate.
[0053] The pH of the resulting product is preferably in the range
of about pH 5.1 to 5.8, more preferably about pH 5.1 to 5.5, and
most preferably about 5.1-5.4. It may be useful to add small
amounts of a pH or acidity regulator, such as lactic acid. For tart
products such as products having fruit flavors, the pH may be
lowered to about pH 4.5
[0054] The examples above used a strong gelatin, three hundred
Bloom, and four to five percent was sufficient to achieve the
properties desired in the finished dairy product. Gelatins of
lesser strength may be used instead, with a correspondingly higher
amount. For instance, if two hundred fifty bloom gelatin is used,
the amount should probably be adjusted to about four and one-half
to five and one-half percent by weight.
[0055] If two hundred Bloom gelatin is used, the amount of gelatin
should probably be about five to six percent. Using weaker
gelatins, with Blooms of fifty to one hundred, it is possible that
an amount of up to seven percent of gelatin may be possible (or
needed). Of course, with such a high quantity of gelatin, the
cheese may also tolerate a higher moisture content. Thus, in some
dairy based sauce embodiments, in which a looser or lower-melting
portionable, rapid melt sauce is desired, moisture contents of as
high as fifty or fifty-five percent may be possible. All these
embodiments are meant to be included, so long as the resulting
cubes, slices, shreds, or particles are easily portionable and will
rapidly melt when heated or placed on hot food items.
[0056] Thus, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art
that the present invention provides a rapid melt dairy based
product that is solid and easily portionable at room temperature,
but that when heated or when dispensed onto hot food melts quickly
into a sauce and remains in sauce form and does not congeal at room
temperature. The rapid melt dairy based product uses a gelatin,
either with or without a starch as a base, as a stabilizer to
produce a sauce that becomes sufficiently firm to process when
refrigerated. It may then be processed into reduced size segments
and packaged. In use, it may be easily dispensed and will rapidly
melt into a sauce when heated or when dispensed onto hot food, and
once melted it will remain as a sauce at normal room
temperatures.
[0057] All references, including publications, patent applications,
and patents cited herein are hereby incorporated herein by
reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually
and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference herein
and were set forth in its entirety herein. Except where specified,
the steps of a method need not be performed in the precise order
given in the method.
[0058] The use of the terms "a" and "an" and "the" and similar
referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in
the context of the following claims) is to be construed to cover
both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein
or clearly contradicted by context. The terms "comprising,"
"having," "including," and "containing" are to be construed as
open-ended terms (i.e., meaning "including, but not limited to,")
unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of values herein are
merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring
individually to each separate value falling within the range,
unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is
incorporated into the specification as if individually recited
herein.
[0059] All methods described herein can be performed in any
suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise
clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples,
or exemplary language (e.g., "such as") provided herein, is
intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not
pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise
claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as
indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of
the invention.
[0060] Although the foregoing description of the portionable, rapid
melt dairy-based food product of the present invention has been
shown and described with reference to particular embodiments and
applications thereof, it has been presented for purposes of
illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive
or to limit the invention to the particular embodiments and
applications disclosed. It will be apparent to those having
ordinary skill in the art that a number of changes, modifications,
variations, or alterations to the invention as described herein may
be made, none of which depart from the spirit or scope of the
present invention. The particular embodiments and applications were
chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the
principles of the invention and its practical application to
thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the
invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as
are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such changes,
modifications, variations, and alterations should therefore be seen
as being within the scope of the present invention as determined by
the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth
to which they are fairly, legally, and equitably entitled.
* * * * *